About Music Hall

Geert Allaert was born in Menen in 1963 and grew up in an environment where enterprise, creativity and discipline came naturally. Music played a central role in his life from an early age: he joined the drum corps of the local concert band, took music lessons in Menen and Kortrijk and played in various bands and ensembles. He later founded his own big band and continued his studies at the Ghent Conservatory, where he studied ensemble performance as a trumpeter with François Glorieux alongside musicians including Dirk Brossé. He also earned a degree in Germanic philology at Ghent University.

That combination of musical training, an ear for language and organisational talent laid the foundation for an exceptional career in the cultural sector. During his military service, he organised the first Film Festival of Flanders at Pentascoop Kortrijk. Shortly afterwards, he entered professional live entertainment and founded Music Hall, initially promoting international artists such as Dionne Warwick, Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Shirley Bassey, Harry Belafonte, Barry White and Michael Jackson.

From that strong start, Music Hall grew into a company with big ideas and an international outlook. Geert organised the first events at Flanders Expo, launched The Best of Proms, among other projects, and built a strong reputation for arena operas and large-scale live spectacles. His true passion, however, was producing musicals, operas and ballets: performances that combine artistic ambition with broad audience appeal.

He also played a key role in revitalising major cultural venues in Flanders. In 1994, he founded Flanders Eventhall with Roularta and Gimv. This breathed new life into iconic venues including Forest National and Stadsschouwburg Antwerp. The Antwerp theatre was extensively renovated and developed into the largest theatre in Flanders, remaining one of its most successful to this day. In 2000, De Capitole in Ghent reopened after twenty years standing empty, as a fully equipped theatre with 1,700 seats and an early example of a cultural public-private partnership.

Under his leadership, Music Hall also brought major hit musicals to Flanders. Through partnerships with international rights holders such as Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Group, productions including Cats, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Romeo & Julia, Oliver and The Wizard of Oz reached a wide audience. In doing so, Geert helped firmly establish and popularise musical theatre in Flanders.

He also worked closely with leading creative figures from Belgium and abroad. Director Frank Van Laecke became a regular Music Hall collaborator over the years, working on productions such as Dracula and Oliver as well as major opera spectacles that later toured internationally. His friendship and collaboration with Franco Dragone was equally significant. Together, they explored new forms of live entertainment and developed projects connecting theatre, spectacle and international ambition.

Since 1987, Geert Allaert has produced more than one hundred professional theatre and arena productions. His career is marked by a rare combination of cultural entrepreneurship, artistic courage and long-term vision. He continues to look ahead. After the pandemic, he focused on new hybrid cultural forms that combine live theatre and cinematic content. Guided by this vision, he is developing new formats planned to tour from autumn 2026.

At heart, Geert Allaert remains what he has always been: a cultural entrepreneur and creative producer driven to move, surprise and bring audiences together.